


A second too late

by Quacks



Series: When the devil needs saving [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Death, Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Peter Parker, Minor Character Death, Not Really Comfort Though, Past Rape/Non-con, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Please continue with caution, Protective Avengers, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, The Author Regrets Everything, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24418705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quacks/pseuds/Quacks
Summary: Peter can’t breathe. Not only has he killed a man, but now his team - his family - believe that he did it on purpose. He stumbled after Tony as the man pulled him away from the scene, a terrifying thought running through his head.What if he did do it on purpose?****Peter accidentally drops Skip while saving him.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: When the devil needs saving [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721197
Comments: 83
Kudos: 671





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stucky101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stucky101/gifts).



> WARNING!!!! This story contains mentions of past rape, suicidal thoughts, and a suicide attempt(kind of). Please be careful if you read this. 
> 
> Okay, so I'm a little (a lot) late on posting. My apologies. This is for Stuck101 - I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Maybe, leave a comment or kudos? They kind of make me really happy :)

_ ‘Come on Einstein, it’ll be fun!’ _ Peter hears echoing through his head as he stares at the familiar face in front of him. 

The pale blue eyes that are looking back at him make Peter feel nauseous. He feels his body moving, all but stumbling backwards towards the exit. His vision goes blurry, and all he can hear is the pounding of his own heart thudding in his ears. 

_ ‘Stay still or someone will catch us and they’ll see what a little slut you are. You’re even excited for me to touch you.’ _ Shaking the memories, Peter tries to reorient himself. He has a job to do. He can’t let his past stop him from being a hero. 

“I’ll be back.” He says to Skip, grabbing the woman then jumping out the window. They land softly on the ground, and the woman runs off immediately. Peter takes a second to just breathe, trying to stop his hands from shaking. Panic rises in his chest, but he forces it back down. The now flashing red timer gains his attention, and Peter curses, climbing back up the side of the unstable building. 

Crawling through the open window, Peter pauses when he notices the terrified look on Skip’s face. Throughout every encounter Peter had with the man all those years ago, Skip never looked anything less than confident. He felt a little bit of selfish satisfaction from the fear radiating off of Skip, but it’s short lived. The ground beneath him trembles, and Peter doesn’t waste any time in shooting a web at Skip, pulling the man towards him once the web connects to his chest. 

When Skip wraps his arms around him, Peter involuntarily flinches away before forcing himself to relax. Peter swallows down the nausea as he wraps his own hand around Skip’s back, holding him in place. He’s barely got his bearings, clinging to the side of the building, when the structure starts to crumble.

Peter leaps into the air, ignoring the man tightening his grip around Peter’s neck. If he can just get Skip to the small restaurant where all the other civilians are hiding safely, then he’ll be fine. Everything is good. Skip doesn’t know it’s Peter under the mask, all the civilians have been saved, and he can hear over the comms that the team just took down the Rhino guy. There’s nothing for Peter to worry about, so he doesn’t need to be feeling as panicky as he is. 

That is until Skip readjusts, securing his legs by crossing them around Peter’s waist. The movement causes Skip’s hips to rub against Peter’s crotch, and the hero panics. 

Thinking back on it, Peter knows he overreacted. The touch wasn’t intentional. But in the moment, Peter acts on instinct. Without thinking, Peter pushes Skip away from him, forgetting for a moment that they are mid swing, and the only thing keeping Skip from falling to his death is Peter. By the time his brain catches up with the situation, Peter launches himself down. But he’s too late. 

Skip hits the top of a car with a sickening thud. Peter stares in horror at the lifeless face looking back up at him as he catches himself with a web. He jumps to the ground, running and stumbling as he makes his way over. Peter knows there’s no hope, but he still pleads with the Gods for a miracle. If Skip is dead, it’s Peter’s fault. He killed him. 

“No.” Peter cries when he gets closer and sees the trail of blood slipping down the windshield. He reaches a hand out to feel for a pulse, still hopelessly praying that it isn’t true, but is stopped when someone grabs his hand. 

“Don’t.” Steve says, glaring at Peter. 

“But I…” Peter wants to check. He needs to check. He tries to explain to Steve, but the words fail him. 

“You dropped him.” Steve growls, pulling Peter harshly away from Skip. Peter notices the rest of the Avengers standing around, all wearing looks of disbelief and anger. Do they think Peter did it on purpose? His heart drops, and Peter tries to pull away from Steve.

“Wait. You think I did that on purpose?” Peter asks, a fresh wave of tears welling in his eyes. 

“We don’t want to believe it, but we saw it happen, Pete.” Tony answered, looking confused and disappointed.

“Get him out of here, Tony.” Ordered Steve, pushing Peter towards Tony. “We’ll take care of the clean up.” 

Peter can’t breathe. Not only has he killed a man, but now his team - his family - believe that he did it on purpose. He stumbled after Tony as the man pulled him away from the scene, a terrifying thought running through his head. 

_ What if he did do it on purpose? _

Who’s to say that he didn’t hesitate before trying to get Skip? What if that moment of hesitation was the difference between life and death. His reflexes are some of the best out there, so he should have been able to save Skip. Right? So, it only makes sense that some subconscious part of Peter wanted Skip to die, because he should have been able to save him. But he didn’t. 

Maybe they’re right. Maybe Peter did it on purpose. 

“I killed him.” Peter whispered, looking up at Tony through his mask with terror filled eyes. “I-I just k-killed someone.”

“Breathe, Peter.” Tony instructed, placing both hands on Peter’s trembling shoulders. He stopped himself from pulling off Peter’s mask, not wanting to risk anyone seeing him as they stand in the street. “Come on, kid. Now is not the time to be freaking out. We need to get back to the tower.” 

Nodding his head, Peter didn’t say anything else as Tony lifted them both into the air, flying in the direction of the tower. A million thoughts raced through his head, filling him with anxiety as the reality of the situation settled in his mind. 

Peter killed Skip - maybe on accident, maybe not. He hasn’t figured that out yet. The Avengers think Peter did it on purpose, and they are probably going to hate him now. Peter should tell them that Skip raped him when he was younger, and that the man had accidentally rubbed up against Peter, causing him to panic. In his moment of panic, Peter forgot that they were in the air, and pushed Skip away. It was a complete accident. 

Yes. That’s what he’ll tell them. Well, some of it. The last thing he wants to do is give his team another reason why Peter shouldn’t be a hero. They always say that Peter is too young, or too inexperienced. If he tells them about the worst thing that’s ever happened - the thing that he didn’t stop because he was afraid of what would happen if he did - they would think he’s weak, pathetic, useless. 

“So, you’re telling us..”Sam commented, rolling his eyes after Peter explained everything. They had all gathered in the common room when once the team was finished with damage control. The room had been tense as Peter talked, telling them that Skip had been hanging on too tight, cutting off Peter’s airway, and he was just trying to get the man to loosen his grip, but accidentally pushed too hard. 

Okay, so maybe Peter lied. And maybe it wasn’t the best lie he could have come up with, but he couldn’t think of anything else. So it wasn’t surprising that they didn’t believe him. Peter swallowed thickly as Sam continued. “You, the same person who can catch a bus with your bare hands, couldn’t handle some scared, non-enhanced civilian holding on too tight? So you pushed him off and let him die?”

“I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.” Peter defended. 

“You have to admit, Pete, it sounds sketchy.” Tony sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I don’t know why you won’t just tell us the truth.”

“Because the truth is, that for whatever reason, Peter killed someone and now he’s feeling guilty so he’s making up a lie.” Fury said as he walked into the room. “Even if it was an accident, most people won’t see it like that. So until further notice, you are banned from all other missions.” 

Nobody disagreed. Not even Peter. He killed someone - he isn’t a hero, he’s a murderer. Peter doesn’t deserve to be Spider-Man anymore, because Spider-Man doesn’t kill. The silence in the room was stifling as everyone waited to see Peter’s reaction. With tears welling in his eyes, Peter shrugged, walking out of the room. 

“Wait, Peter, where are you going?” Tony asked, following him out of the common area. 

“I’m gonna go to May’s. You don’t have to worry about me Mr. Stark.” Peter didn’t wait for a response. He turned away, walking to the elevator. Biting his lip, Peter fought back the sobs that wanted to rip through his body, the pain of losing another part of his life causing him to ache to his core. It seems Peter will always be on the losing end of life. 

* * *

  
  


Tony fought the urge to throw his current project across the lab. He had just ended a phone call with May Parker - the third one this week. She is worried about Peter, which Tony can understand. It’s been three weeks since he last talked to the kid. It’s not for a lack of trying, but every time he calls Peter or drops by the apartment, the teenager avoids him. After Peter climbed out the window in the middle of the day, not caring if anyone saw him scaling the wall onto the roof, Tony decided to give Peter some space. However, with May calling at least once a day, complaining that Peter has been quiet and distant, he’s starting to reconsider that plan. 

The phone call he just ended makes Tony want to get in a suit, fly to the apartment, and force Peter to talk. May said Peter has locked himself in his room, barely coming out to use the bathroom or eat food. Peter isn’t talking to her anymore, and she is really worried about his mental health. “I thought it was bad when I could hear him crying, but the silence is so much worse. Please, Tony. I don’t know what to do.” May had told him, her own voice thick with emotion. 

What really frustrates Tony is the fact that Peter won’t talk to anyone about what happened or why he let the man fall. Peter wouldn’t just kill someone like that, but Tony knows what he saw. They had just finished handing the Rhino over to SHIELD, and were walking to find Peter when they saw the kid swinging through the air carrying someone. As they watched, Tony saw Peter push the man away from him, and watch for a second before going after him. Peter didn’t even try to defend himself beyond some half assed lie. 

When Fury practically kicked Peter off the team, he had expected the kid to fight it or come clean, but he just walked out. None of it makes any sense to Tony, and he’s had enough. Peter’s had enough space. 

The next thing Tony knows is he’s standing outside of the Parker’s apartment at 10:30 pm. May answers the door, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. You need to fix my kid, Stark, or I swear I will hang you by your balls.” The suddenly terrifying woman walked past Tony, her purse in hand. “I’ll be back in an hour.” 

As the door swung shut, Tony stared at it for a few seconds, his mind still trying to catch up. He really wouldn’t put it past May Parker to follow through on her threat, so he quickly snapped himself out of his shock. Tony turned on his heel, starting down the hallway towards Peter’s bedroom. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to forgo knocking, not wanting to give Peter any chance to escape. 

“Honey! I’m home.” Tony said in a sing-song voice, pushing the door wide open. Peter was sitting on his bed, his back against the wall, staring at Tony with an unamused look. The normally bright eyes of the teen were dull and empty. It hurt Tony to see the pain the kid was trying to hide. 

“What do you want?” said Peter, his voice matching his expression. 

Sitting in the desk chair, Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re aunt’s been calling and she just threatened to, and I quote, ‘hang me by balls’, so I figured I would come check in on you.” 

Hearing his mentor say that he was only there because May had threatened him hurt more than Peter was willing to admit. Had he really screwed up so much that Mr. Stark stopped caring about him? Nothing in what the man had said hinted at Tony being there because he wants to be there. Swallowing down the thickness in his throat, Peter forced himself to keep eye contact as he spoke. “Well I’m fine, Mr. Stark. So if that’s all you came here for, I have other things to do.” 

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Tony grunted as he stood up to sit by Peter. “May says you’ve been down lately, and you haven’t been by the tower in a while. What’s going on in that head of yours.” 

“You know, typically when a person is wrongfully accused of murder, they don’t walk around as if nothing happened.” Peter bit out, cursing himself for not stopping the words from escaping. 

“No one is accusing you of murder...:”

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure that’s what Director Fury meant when he said I dropped Skip on purpose.” Peter snapped, standing from his bed, his hands shaking. 

“Skip?” Tony raised his eyebrows. No one had told Peter the name of the man. “You knew him?”

Peter’s eyes widened, and he stared at Mr. Stark. He hadn’t meant to say Skip’s name. “W-what?” He choked out. 

“You knew him?” Tony repeated, stunned. Peter never said that he knew the man, and that only makes it worse. Why would Peter hide that fact if it was an accident? Fuck, Tony had been really hoping it was all a misunderstanding. It doesn’t make sense, none of it does. “You really did kill him on purpose.” 

It wasn’t a question. Mr. Stark wasn’t asking a question anymore - he stated it like a fact. Peter wanted to protest, and to tell the man the truth, but the words wouldn’t form. 

“Give me the suit.” Tony whispered after a few moments of silence. The hurt look on Peter’s face made Tony instantly regret it. He hated that he had to do this again, but right now he doesn’t know if he can trust the kid to keep it.

Peter didn’t say anything as tears filled his eyes. He wordlessly walked across his room, grabbed the suit out of his backpack, and handed it to his mentor. This is it. Peter is once again truly losing another father figure, all because he can’t tell the man about Skip. He wants to. He really really wants to, but every time his mouth opens, nothing comes out. Peter would do anything to prevent this from happening, but once again, he’s useless. He couldn’t save Ben, and now he can’t save his relationship with Mr. Stark. He isn’t sure what’s worse - having someone leave you because they died, or having someone leave you because they don’t want you around anymore.

“I’m sorry” Peter said through his tears, his arms wrapping tightly around his middle. 

“Me too.”

Tony could feel himself on the verge of breaking. His own heart aching as he watched the tears roll down Peter’s cheeks. Everything in him wants to wrap Peter up, pulling him into a hug and protect him from being hurt again. But he doesn’t. Tony is suffocating in the small apartment, and he knows he needs to get out. Just for a little while. He doesn’t say anything as he stands up, leaving the apartment in desperate need of air. 

The front door closes and to Peter it signifies the end. Mr. Stark left, and he isn’t coming back. Sobs rack through Peter’s body as he collapses against the wall. Pain and grief tear him apart, and Peter just wants it to stop. He wants the universe to stop ganging up on him. He wants to stop hurting with every breath. He wants to stop losing the people he cares about. 

He just wants it to stop.

For his whole life, Peter has tried over, and over again to make up for the bad in his life, but he’s never succeeded. And his failures only make things worse for everyone around him. Nothing he does will ever be good enough. It’s a simple fact of his life. A life Peter doesn’t deserve anymore. Even for a terrible life, it’s too good for Peter. He would be doing everyone a favor if he were gone. 

After years of trying to be better, Peter’s tired.

It’s those thoughts that pull Peter to his feet. More tears blur his vision as he accepts what he has to do. Not even his enhanced healing will save him if he jumps from high enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL, SERIOUSLY PLEASE BE CAREFUL READING THIS!!!!!!! This chapter really dives deep into suicidal thoughts. Please don't read if you think this is going to trigger anything for you. There is a lot of hurt in this. 
> 
> But, for those of you who do/can safely read, Thanks!!!

Tony leans against the outside of the Parker’s apartment building the moment he exits the building. A million questions run through his head - all of them demanding answers that he doesn’t have. There’s only one question that he wants to focus on though; how does Peter know Skip Westcott?

Really, Tony is completely baffled by this entire situation. Peter is not the type of person to just willingly let someone die. Tony has seen the kid jump in front of a bullet to save someone who, less than five seconds earlier, was trying to kill him. Nothing about this is adding up. 

Taking the suit had been a split second decision, and Tony is already regretting it. Of course he trusts the kid. He trusts Peter with his life. The first thing he’s planning on doing when he goes back up to finish talking with Peter is give the suit back. It was a stupid choice. Even if Peter dropped Westcott on purpose, Tony wouldn’t take the suit. There is probably a legitimate reason why Peter dropped him. 

What he doesn’t understand is why Peter didn’t tell them that he knows Westcott. It goes along with why the kid won’t talk to them and explain his side of the story. Peter is being so secretive about it that Tony can’t help but think that the kid actually let Westcott fall on purpose. 

With his mind clearer, and his thoughts less jumbled, Tony decides to go back up. Asking himself these questions isn’t going to get him anywhere. 

He doesn’t bother knocking before walking inside the apartment, and towards Peter’s room. He half expected Peter to still be in his room, but it’s empty. “Pete!” Tony calls out, searching the rest of the small apartment for the kid, questioning if he missed him somehow. 

As he walks back into the living area, May walks through the room, looking surprised to still see Tony there. “How’d it go?” She asked softly, shooting a glance down the hallway, looking for Peter. 

“It could have gone better.” Tony admitted, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck. 

“I’m sure you did fine.” May consoled, setting down the grocery bag she was carrying. “Where’s Peter?”

“I don’t actually know. I stepped out for a minute to calm down. I just got back up, and I can’t find him.”

May sighed, dropping her head into her hands. “He does that sometimes when he needs a breather. Shit. He knows I hate it when he does that.”

“That’s probably my fault.” Tony sunk into one of the wooden chairs, cursing himself for not handling the situation better. He should have let Peter explain without interrupting. He shouldn't have told the kid that he thinks he killed Westcott on purpose. And he definitely should not have taken the suit. 

“What happened?” May asked, sitting in the chair across from Tony. “Did he say anything?”

“He knew him.” May’s eyebrows furrowed questioningly at Tony’s statement, prompting him to explain further. “The man’s name was Steven Westcott, and Peter said he knew him.” 

May let out a startled gasp as her eyebrows shot up in an expression that Tony recognizes as fear. He doesn’t have time to question further before May is pulling out her phone, calling Peter. The line rings a few times before it goes to voicemail, and May curses.

“What’s wrong, May?” Tony asks, not liking the sudden change of mood. 

The woman looks at Tony with tears in her eyes. “Steven Westcott raped Peter when he was 8.” 

Tony’s stomach dropped, nausea washing over him like a tidal wave. The room feels like it’s spinning as Tony grips the edge of the table dangerously tight. Of all the things May could have told him, that was one of the worst things Tony can think of. A small part of him feels grateful that the man is dead. He knows if the man wasn’t, Tony would do the deed himself. It doesn’t matter than it happened years ago. Nobody touches his kid and gets away with it. 

Fear rises in Tony as he thinks of Peter, of the withdrawn, shut off attitude he’s had since the incident. They have all been absolute dicks to the kid, and none of them have stopped to make sure Peter was doing alright. “Fuck. May, I really screwed this up.” 

“You couldn’t have known, Tony.” May sniffled, wiping tears from her cheeks. “But I’m worried. For months after it happened, Peter completely shut down on us. He wouldn’t talk to me or Ben, and eventually we had him see a child psychologist. Apparently he said some things to the doctor that made her think he was suicidal. We worked with him for months until he wasn’t thinking that way anymore. It was so long ago that I didn’t put two and two together, and...” May cut off with a sob. 

Tony doesn’t need her to say anymore to know what she was trying to say. “You think he’s having suicidal thoughts again.” He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat as blood rushed in his ears. If anything happens to Peter, Tony won’t be able to forgive himself.

Damn it! He’s been so stupid. “I’ll find him. I promise.” 

“Please bring him home.” That was May’s only request as Tony ran out the door, and he’d be damned if he didn’t do just that. 

As soon as he was outside, Tony let his suit form around him. “FRIDAY, track Peter’s phone. I need to know where he is  _ now _ !”

“Mr. Parker’s phone is turned off, Boss. I can’t track it.” The A.I responded after a second.

“Then track him through CCTV footage.” Tony flew through the air, praying to catch a glimpse of the kid. He needs something. Anything. “While you do that I need you to connect me with Karen.”

Again, there was a slight pause before a different voice spoke. “Hello Mr. Stark. How can I help you tonight?” The chipper voice of Peter’s A.I was the complete opposite of how Tony was feeling and he wanted to yell at the happy tone. 

“Pull up all the data you have from the last mission. I need to see Peter’s vitals, all touch identification, and video footage from around the time when Westcott fell.” Tony circled around a cluster of apartment buildings, searching the alleys and rooftops. He took a moment to be grateful for the touch identification update he added into the suit. It was originally meant to pick up on any hits Peter took because he tended to hide his injuries. Anything that touched Peter was picked up by the sensors - big or small - and then FRIDAY would alert Tony if anything hit harder than a certain level. 

The information he asked for pops up on the side of his HUD screen. He looks it over, and Tony wants to vomit. Not only had Peter’s vitals spiked right before he dropped Westcott, they also indicated that Peter had been in the middle of a panic attack. That alone was bad enough, but then the touch identification scans show that just moments before, Westcott had rubbed up against Peter’s crotch.

From the video footage, Tony can see the exact moment Peter tensed, his body reacting without his permission, and then Peter realizing what he had just done. It was an accident. A complete instinctual reaction, that turned deadly. Peter tried to save Westcott, and they blamed him for killing the guy. No wonder Peter shut them out.

“Boss, I’ve found Mr. Parker.” FRIDAY informed him, breaking Tony out of his whirlwind of thoughts.

“Where is he, Fri?”

“He’s on the roof of the Avengers tower.”

______

  
  


Peter wants to say he felt scared as he climbed the side of the Avengers tower, but he didn’t. He didn’t feel anything when he reached the top or when he stood on the edge, looking at the street below him. 

Choosing the tower wasn’t his way of trying to make a statement or place blame on the Avengers for his death. No, choosing the tower was his last hope of someone saving him. Peter will admit that he doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t want to leave May to mourn by herself, with no other family members to grieve with her. He doesn’t want to leave Ned to build LEGO sets by himself because everyone else their age thinks it’s weird. He doesn’t want to leave MJ who was just starting to come out of her heavily protected shell she’s been hiding behind for years.

While he doesn’t want to go, Peter can’t stay either. He can’t handle the pain of losing people again. Not when the people he’s losing are the same people who were his childhood heroes - the group of people he always knew he could rely on to save him. The heartbreak of them thinking he willingly let Skip fall - of them blaming him for being a killer - hurts more than Peter thought possible. 

Mr. Stark took the suit, and as much as he has tried, Peter Parker is a nobody without the suit. Peter Parker is a poor, orphaned kid from Queens who doesn’t deserve anything but pain and misery. So wouldn’t it be easier on everyone if he isn’t around anymore? When he’s gone nobody will ever have to face the consequences of knowing him. No one will ever be a victim to Parker Luck again. 

Staring over the city, _ his _ city, Peter takes a few calming breaths, ready to accept his end. He would say he’s had a good life, but he hasn’t. Sure, he’s had some good moments, but overall his life has been filled with one thing after another that has torn him down, and ripped him apart. He’s nothing but flesh and bone now; an empty carcass that’s taking up space. 

He’s ready for the darkness to overtake him. Ready for the bleak void of death to be all that he feels. As he closes his eyes, Peter lets tears fall onto his cheeks, the warmth of them feeling nice against the cold wind. With one last exhale of breath, Peter steps off the edge. The wind against his face is comforting, familiar. 

“PETER!” 

The scream, the voice, the hard metal arms that catch him. Peter sobs as he realizes that Mr. Stark just saved him. He opens his eyes, looking at the man as his face plate retracts, showing the concerned and worried expression the man is wearing. “Please let me go.” Peter begs, but he doesn’t try to move out of the grip his mentor has on him. 

Tony’s face falls, the broken look in Peter’s eyes rips him apart with every second he looks at it. He thought watching Peter step off the roof was terrifying, but he would give anything to make sure Peter never feels this way again. His arms tighten around Peter, and he flies to the landing pad outside of the living room. “I am never going to let you go. Not now, not ever.” He whispers into Peter’s ear as the suit de-materialized from around him, back into its holding compartment. 

“Please.” ‘Peter cries, shaking in Tony’s arms. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Shh, I’ve got you buddy.” Tony feels his own tears pouring from his eyes as he sets Peter on the couch in the empty living room. He keeps his arms wrapped around Peter, the boy's head resting against his chest. “I’m so sorry, Peter.” 

The two of them sit like that for a long while, both crying and clinging to each other. Tony swears he will never let Peter out of his sight again. He’s lucky he got to Peter on time. If he had arrived any later, it would have been too late. It was too close of a call, and Tony isn’t going to risk losing Peter like that. 

After Peter’s sobs have quieted to small sniffles, he leans away from Tony, pushing himself out of the man’s arms. Peter ignores the hesitant look on his face as he scoots to the other side of the couch. “Peter?” Tony questions, ready to chase after the kid if he tries to leave. 

“Why did you save me?” Peter asks quietly. “You think I killed Skip on purpose, so why not let me go?”

“No, Peter, I know it was an accident. I am so sorry for thinking otherwise.”

Peter’s eyebrows furrowed deeper at Tony’s statement. “What do you mean?”

“I talked with May. She told me about Westcott, so I looked over the video footage from the mission. It was clearly an accident. I should have looked at it sooner, and then none of this would have happened. I’m sorry Peter.” 

“Would you stop saying you’re sorry?” Peter snapped, frustration building up inside him. Sorry isn’t going to fix the pain that he’s gone through. Sorry isn’t going to stop the ache that pulsing through his with every beat of his heart. Saying sorry is asking for forgiveness, and Peter doesn’t know if he can give it. Not now. Not yet. “You didn’t believe me. None of you did. You called me a liar, and a murderer. You took the suit! Sorry isn’t going to fix that.” 

“I know, Pete. Taking the suit was stupid, it’s yours and I will never take it again.” Tony understands where Peter is coming from. They had been unfair to the kid, and it almost cost Peter his life. The emotional damage that they caused is going to take a long time for Peter to recover from. Tony doesn’t expect the kid to forgive them instantly. Hell, he wouldn’t blame Peter if he never forgives them. “I really messed this one up, Peter. I want to try to help make up for it.” 

“I don’t know if you can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I promise comfort? Oops. I lied. Who knows, I might add a third chapter later, but probably not. That would take a lot more than one chapter to do and I am way too busy to focus on that right now. Sorry...
> 
> But, Thanks for reading! The positive response I've received is overwhelming. Thank you everyone for your kind comments! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger.. I have no idea when the second chapter will be out, but hopefully it won't be longer than a few days..a week at the longest. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!! :)


End file.
